SVIPLA NOVEMBER 15, 2012 DINNER MEETING

SVIPLA NOVEMBER DINNER
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, CA

6:00-7:00 p.m. - Registration/cocktails

7:00 p.m. - Dinner and program

Presentation by Drew Hirshfeld
USPTO Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy

Drew Hirshfeld, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, will be our speaker for the November SVIPLA dinner meeting. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Hirshfeld, who will be speaking at the Santa Clara University’s HTLI conference on November 16.

Mr. Hirshfeld will talk about his position in the USPTO and how the USPTO creates and implements policy from the Director down to the Examiners. In addition, he will discuss the changes the AIA has brought about, and how they will affect practitioners. This is an excellent opportunity to have your questions answered and to provide your thoughts as a practitioner in the Silicon Valley aboutr the new laws and policies surrounding the AIA.

As Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, Mr. Hirshfeld serves as the authority on patent laws, rules, and examining practice and procedure, and provides administrative oversight and direction for the activities of the Office of Petitions, Office of Patent Legal Administration, Office of Patent Cooperation Treaty Legal Administration, and the Office of Patent Quality Assurance. Further, Mr. Hirshfeld establishes patent examination and documentation policy standards for the Commissioner for Patents. Prior to serving as Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, Mr. Hirshfeld was the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. Mr. Hirshfeld began his career at the USPTO in 1994 as a Patent Examiner. He became a Supervisory Patent Examiner in 2001, and was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in 2008 as a Group Director in Technology Center 2100, Computer Architecture and Software. Mr. Hirshfeld received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont, and a J.D. from Western New England College School of Law.

If you have problems registering for the November meeting and want to make a reservation, please email Casey at svipla@yahoo.com.

DEADLINE FOR RESERVATION OR CANCELLATION:
Tuesday noon, November 13, 2012.  Online registration automatically closes at that time - please make your reservation online by the deadline as there are only a few extra spaces allotted at the meeting for walk-ins. The venue may not be able to serve meals beyond the guaranteed number expected for the meeting.

SVIPLA Tax ID#-77-0491659

MCLE: This event will qualify for 1 hour of CLE credit. The Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider.